Downtown Ukiah tree lights a work in progress

New lights for decorating more than a dozen trees on School Street were not installed in time for last year's holiday season, but Ukiah Main Street Program Executive Director Rick Hansen said they almost certainly will be up for the holidays this year.

"I can pretty much safely say they'll be up by this Christmas," Hansen said Tuesday, explaining that some of the lights were strung on four trees near the Ukiah Valley Conference Center and intersection of School and Church streets early last month, but the installation stopped there.

The lights were bought by the Ukiah Electric Utility, and the plan is to install them on 16 trees in four intersections on School Street and light them for the holidays and other special occasions.

Hansen said only four trees have been finished so far because the bucket truck donated to the UMSP so volunteers could reach the branches was not a good fit.

"The bucket is too wide -- we could not reach the inside of the tree without damaging the branches," he said, explaining that he hopes to procure a truck with a smaller bucket, "with just enough room for one person."

Hansen said the four trees that were done "made a good test study," because it allowed him to collect opinions and suggestions on the work from nearby merchants and the public.

"Most of them were pleased with the way they turned out, but they felt a few more lights were needed," he said. "We feel a couple of those trees need more lights added to them, on the limbs we couldn't reach."

Hansen said more lights will be added and the other trees finished as soon as the UMSP can use another bucket truck "in the coming weeks." The City of Ukiah has such a truck, but Hansen said while "the city has been extremely helpful with the project (so far), unfortunately it is not in the position to provide equipment or staff time."

Hansen said he was also asked frequently about why the lights were not put around the trunks of the trees, and that was because of the "issues we've had over the years with vandalism. The lights are out of reach of people with mischievous intent."

For more information, or to volunteer or donate, call the UMSP at 462-6789.